This Italian Mama knows her biscotti!
I have only had biscotti two times in my life where it was unforgettable. The first was from the hand of Luciana’s mother, Vittoria. The second time, many years later, was that of Carmella, Nadia’s life-long childhood friend who brought some for us to enjoy when we were making salsa a couple of years ago. I have not been able to enjoy biscotti since. None compare. When Luciana called and asked me to make biscotti with her this year for Christmas, with her mother’s own recipe, you can imagine my delight! Getting a recipe from either of these gals is not an easy task.
Vittoria is a traditionalist. Almonds with orange peel. That is the biscotti she used to make and though there are so many adaptations to this recipe, I have no desire to make any other kind and neither did Luciana. Only this one.
Luciana and I used to bake together every Christmas for years. Oh, the parties we would throw, the food we would make and the fun we would have. I am talking big production baking and cooking days. The work was such fun with the two of us doing it… in those days it was always at Luch’s as she had the nicest kitchen. I really miss those festive holiday food preparations, but we did ourselves proud yesterday. Look at all the biscotti, mamma!
This recipe makes a very tender, crisp, though not hard, biscotti that is addictive. This biscotti you do not have to dunk to bite into.
We were so busy chatting and catching up, that the first batch seemed to take forever. I had the mis en place ready to go for the second batch, and we were both shocked at how easy these nummy for your tummy mamma mia della cucina biscotti are. Seriously.
Cream the butter and sugar, like any cookie dough. Add baking powder, eggs, vanilla and whip to combine.
The only part of the recipe that is time consuming at all, is preparing the orange peel. Both of us were well aware that we could use the rasp and have the biscotti scented with orange zest in no time. However, as Vittoria is the traditionalist, we knew we had to peel off the zest, and slice it into the finest shards, by hand. Try to avoid getting any white pith with the peel, as that is bitter.
Can you see the improvement from the first orange peel to the second? There isn’t a bit of pith in the second batch.
I layered the peeling pieces 3 deep and sliced them, as above, adding to the wet batter just before the flour to avoid breakage by the paddle or whisk.
The dough is soft, supple and lovely to the touch. I knew immediately that this biscotti was going to be scrumptious.
I do weigh my divisions. The large mass was 1360g, so each portion was 340g.
Just like rolling a log when playing with play-dough or plasticine, roll each portion into a log. Anyone remember plasticine? (There’s an old word for you.) If you want the long over-sized biscotti that are sold in coffee shops, simply form this batch into two wide logs. Picture the 4 logs below joined together to make only 2.
To make the traditional shape, you simply flatten the logs, ever so carefully, to maintain an even length and width and height. It isn’t so hard, but important to note.
They have been flattened, below.
I like sparkly sugar on everything any time of the year, but particularly at Christmas. However, Luciana did two logs with sparkle sugar, and two with out. Both were lovely.
I panicked for a moment when I saw they had cracked. But, of course, they do. Expect that. Biscotti cracks. It is a rustic cookie and the cracks add to its beauty.
Luciana was happy. I know she was thinking of her family around their Christmas breakfast table with Vittoria’s biscotti, for the first time in a long while, and a cup of espresso.
Yup. That is the look of approval. We did good.
Luciana has an older sister, and a younger brother and sister. Her parents came from Puglia to Canada as newly weds in the 1040’s and worked in the mines of Northern Alberta, then settled in Red Deer where they raised their family and Antonio worked for Border Paving. I met Luciana just before heading to junior high school, after elementary school. She was so spunky, we just hit it off. Honestly, she hasn’t changed a bit over the last 40 some years, in my eyes. She was a beautiful little Italian doll with olive skin, dreamy brown eyes and the sweetest smile. Still has all of that goin’ on as well as that voluptuous little figure she grew into. I feel so blessed to have grown up with her friendship and within our families through the years. Her dad celebrated his 90th birthday a couple of years ago, and is perkier than most at 60. Her mother doesn’t do the cooking anymore, for family holidays, as there are plenty of children and grandchildren to take that on for her. Thus, our day in the kitchen making mamma Vittoria’s biscotti. The girls and I spent a Christmas with the entire family quite a few years ago when we used to be alone at Christmas as mom and dad lived in Arizona six months of the year, back then. That Christmas with this extended family is one of my favourite memories. This family loves each other. And, they eat good food. Really good food.
Cutting the cookies from the logs is easy with a sharp knife when they have cooled to room temperature. Both are key. To bake the second time, they must be sitting up on the tray, as below. It is also important to turn the cookie sheet in the oven during the middle of the baking time to avoid extra browning of the cookies on one side of the pan. Below is a pan of cookies before the second baking.
Before baking again, the cookies are very fragile, but delicious. We ate all of the ends we cut off and we quite pleased with ourselves. This batch didn’t get turned in the oven. Can you tell? Below is the batch of cookies after the second baking.
You can see that the cookies on the right, above, have browned more than the others. Close up, below, it is evident that this is too brown, but only a little and it was still yummy. “Delicious” still spells success, right?
“Look at all that biscotti!” Tell me what you really think, Luch! See what I mean? Nothing has changed!
Last Christmas, my friend Nadia brought me a bag of her homemade biscott made with Carmella’s recipe. I ate it all myself. Not all at once, but I didn’t share. This year, I am not eating any of it as it is too precious. I have to make a second batch so I can eat some! This is not enough for my crew at Christmas. I can tell already. It certainly isn’t enough for Luch’s crew. What has happened to us? We used to start at 8 am and go until midnight. We could have made 16 batches in one day in the old days, easily. Two was enough today.
We had tea. We enjoyed the last of my Italian Wedding Soup for lunch. We giggled recalling our decorating antics every year at Christmas. But regret nothing. Not any of the parties, the baking, or the over the top decor. Oh, what fun we have had through the years. And each of us have raised two beautiful daughters. A couple of years ago, Luch’s daughters came over with her and we made poppycock together.
I was really hoping we could do something like that again this year. And maybe we will. There is still time.
Meanwhile, I am pretty sure Luch’s biscotti went right into her freezer. I confess. Most of mine did, but I had to sit and enjoy these two. Oh, my.
Counting my blessings? Always. To maintain a friendship for 45 years is rare. I am so blessed. We must bake together again, Luch. Weekly? I’ll dunk to that. Where’s my espresso. Just a minute…
Addition: Luciana took her cookies home for her mother and father to taste and “test”. Did I do your recipe justice, mamma? Antonio smiled and said, “I might not have helped your mother bake her cookies, Luciana, but I know her cookies.” He took one bite. “MMMmmm. This is good.” And then he took another, very thoughtfully. “Luciana. These cookies are exactly like your mothers, except you didn’t do one very important thing. I just know you missed this step, 100%.” What, step, pappa? What did we miss? “You did not toast the almonds. That brings out the flavour in the nuts. You must toast the almonds before adding them to the biscotti. Then they will be exactly like your mother’s!”
So, we have changed the recipe. Toast the almonds!
Vittoria's Traditional Italian Biscotti with Almonds and Orange Zest
Ingredients
- 1 large orange
- 2 cups whole bark on almonds
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (sifted through the sugar)
- 2 whole large eggs
- 1 yolk (white optional, below)
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt (sifted through flour)
- 1 teaspoon excellent quality vanilla or vanilla paste
Instructions
Instructions for Orange Peel and Almonds
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Using peeler, peel orange without any white pith; slice peels into slivers or threads then slice into 1-2 centimeter lengths
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Set aside in small bowl
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Toast whole almonds, watching very carefully and stirring constantly until fragrant and starting to brown
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Set aside in bowl
Instructions for Biscotti
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Pre-heat oven to 350F
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Place butter in large bowl, adding 1 cup sugar, and baking powder; mix at medium speed until thick and frothy and sugar is completely dissolved
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Whisk in eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract
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Sift salt and flour into large bowl over wet ingredients; add almonds and orange peel and fold ingredients together by hand with wooden spoon until completely combined (the mixture will be very thick)
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Weigh dough mass; divide by 4 and portion into 4 equal pieces; shape into 4 loaf-like logs (each weighs about 340 grams)
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Place each log onto parchment paper covered cookie sheet; gently flatten with palm
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Optional: whisk water and egg white; brush each loaf with mixture and sprinkle tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons of regular or course sugar (we preferred it without sugar)
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Bake at 350F for 20 minutes; watch that they don’t brown too much as they will be baked again.
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Remove from oven; do not remove from cookie sheets until completely cooled as loaves are very delicate at this stage and will break
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Adjust oven temperature to 325F
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Once completely cooled, carefully place on cutting board and cut into ½ inch slices with a very sharp knife
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Place slices on cookie sheet standing up, not laid on side; bake at 325 F for 7 minutes, turn sheets around in oven and bake 7 more minutes, ensuring cookies do not brown further*
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Remove to a wire rack to cool
Instructions for Using Thermomix
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Weigh butter, sugar and baking powder into TM bowl; cream together for 5 minutes at speed 4 until thick and frothy and sugar is completely dissolved
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Add vanilla, salt, eggs and yolk to TM bowl; whisk together for 30 seconds at speed 4
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Remove ingredients from TM bowl into large bowl; continue as per #4 above
Recipe Notes
*every oven is different; 8-9 minutes of baking before turning sheet may be required
You had me the moment I read biscotti, Valerie… what a great post! Bookmarking now!
You will not regret taking the time to make this one, Lizzy – and it doesn’t take much effort, either.
🙂
V
I hear you… and can see myself eating the entire batch! xo
Great recipe. Just made them with my mom today. Thank you for posting!
BTW -is that a boot hanging from your clock in the background?
Nadia
Wonderful to hear, Nadia! Yes, this was made during the Christmas Season and that is a Christmas stocking shaped like a ladies high heeled boot hanging from the clock!!
🙂
Valerie
G’day Valerie and what a love story about friendship to share, true!
Your photos and recipes look mouth water and wish I lived closer…would come and bake with Luch and you too!
Cheers! Joanne
Thanks for your kind words, Joanne.
🙂
V
Dear Valerie,
Thank you for sharing your dedication and commitment to one of life’s most important task of cooking and enjoying delicious homemade meals.
The Biscotti look to die for, and I will try to make them for Christmas.
I am a Southern Italian born young senior gal who was raised in Canada from the early 1950’s.
Often I reminisce about living in the 50’s and 60’s……..and all the hard work we had to do, but somehow we all managed to get everything done with plenty of energy to spare. But like you mentioned, not these days…….
Seems that we are much too pre-occupied with too other things.
I was raised in a simple, very close-knit family, we were never too far from our relatives and week-ends seemed to bring everyone together to partake in our gloriously delicious homemade meals, along with self instructed accordion playing, etc.
I have to tell you that I truly admire your blog, and so look forward to checking out your recipes and the history of the different dishes you log about.
Your friend “Luciana” sounds like she loves cooking as well. It is a true gift to have such dear, sweet people around us -isn’t it?
Are you in the Stratford, Ontario area?
I live in Brampton, Ontario……
I wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas…….
Sincerely,
Carmela
Dear Carmella!
Wonderful to hear from you and thank you for your lovely compliments (blush). Sincerely appreciate that you enjoy reading my blog. That does mean a lot as I do put a lot of heart into it… so glad you felt that. I could completely relate to what you were saying about how hard we used to work… and this generation (my children) will never know that… of course, we never understood what our parents went through, either. However, the change that society has undergone in the last 25 years is phenomenal. I cannot imagine not having my iphone for immediate calls or for research, for example. Anyway… yes, I am so blessed to have this relationship and these memories.
🙂
V
Looks DELISH, can’t wait to try.
LOVE this biscotti, but most of all I love your sweet friendship of 45 years, that is priceless. A sweet blessing to count every day and with every dunk of biscotti. 🙂
Yes, I really do, Judy. To share one’s life over the entire span of that many years… from tweenhood to almost old age is truly a blessing.
🙂
V
Hi Valerie,
This is the perfect biscotti recipe I’ve been looking for! Thank you! All my favourite flavours and I love the variations.
I too had a dear friend where we baked all our Christmas goodies together – such fun! Sadly, she has passed away, but I think fondly of her and our many giggles when Christmas cookie baking time rolls around every year. Thanks for this lovely post.
Hugs,
Helene
It must be the butter that makes your biscotti so tender. Sounds wonderful. And it is truly heartwarming to hear such a story of a dear and treasured friendship.
Margaret,
There are so many recipes on the internet for biscotti! If Luciana didn’t bring her mother’s who knows what we would have made. Well, to be honest, nothing. I am so fussy with some recipes, that i wouldn’t have bothered to “experiment” with this one. I would have needed an excellent starting point, and as it is – this recipe is the bomb. Nadia’s friend Carmella, puts red and greed cherries in hers for Christmas and though I am usually not a fan, with the almonds in biscotti, they were to-die-for.
🙂
V
What a beautiful story and you must have had such a great day with her. I used to make big batches of spaghetti sauce with my cousin. He lives too far now but these are memories that I will not forget. I have to try these biscotti. I have made them only once. How many days in advance can I bake them if I am giving these as gifts for Christmas?
You can bake them now for Christmas, Helene. Just freeze them.
🙂
V
I adore biscotti and am definitely making these! The orange zest is so festive and perfect for the winter and the holidays! Plus they look more tender and cookie-like than the crisper biscotti I usually make and my husband – who loves biscotti – will definitely prefer the texture of Luciana’s! They are wonderful! I wish I had friends close by that I could bake with!
OH WOW! it is so fun to look at these posts and get an idea of HOW HARD you really did work! that biscotti was so yummy (and yes, we did bring some back with us, i think i am going to go grab one right now!!)!! Luch looks AMAZING!
Lauren!
I am THRILLED you took some biscotti home. It is one of my favourite cookies and love this recipe!
XOXO
Momsey
How long can you store these biscotties? 🙂
HI Natalie,
They will keep frozen, well wrapped, for a year. Yes, they will.
They will keep in the cupboard, tightly sealed for several months. The most I have had them is 3 months, only because I hid some. They really don’t last!
🙂
Valerie
Can I add a little (1/4 cup) of orange juice to this recipe?
I would not mess with a beautiful thing, Rose. These are orangy enough and I think that may upset the ratio of wet to dry ingredients.
🙂
Valerie
I made these and it turned out good. I took them to the office, they thought i bought it from COSTCO.
What? Clearly, no one in your office has a discerning palate – would you agree? In the Italian world, these are THE BOMB!
Will you make them again? I sure hope so!
Hugs,
Valerie
I just made this biscotti and I am in love! I have tried 2 other recipes that were just ok. This recipe is perfect and was just what I was looking for to include in my holiday goodies this year. Thank you for sharing your stories and recipes.
It is the best biscotti I have ever eaten! Other than my friend Nadia’s friend’s biscotti. Maybe hers was the best, but she won’t share her recipe. Fortunately, Luciana was able to snorfle her mom’s recipe from her collection as she is famous for her biscotti. Her dad is now 95 and mom is 88 and they are still living in the same house for the past 60 years. They will be thrilled to hear you love it too!
Hugs, Valerie
I remember my friend Betty making biscotti and pizzelles for us. Good memories, I miss her. These remind me of those days. I am going to bake some today. What a great recipe. Thank you, thank you.
Thank you for chiming in, Kathy,
Let me know how it goes.
We love our biscotti here!
🙂
Valerie
Oh, I am so sad. I made these and they were A FIASCO!! Are you sure the butter amount is right? They spread all over the cookie sheet, and although when I twice baked for double the time, them the come out edible, they don’t look or taste like yours at any stage of the game. I am afraid to try again, but I must have done something wrong since so many people are commenting that they came out perfectly. I even peeled the orange by hand (and the orange taste is exactly right! Do Not add any more orange flavouring!!) This is why I hate to bake. : (
Oh dear, Kathy!
I hate it when I have a bad day in the kitchen, too. We all have those. I know the recipe works and is accurate, as I have made them several times. I did provide step by step photos, and maybe, after a break, a couple of sleeps – or next year – haha – you will find the will to try them again. Just take it slow. They are not as complicated as it may seem. Sometimes it helps me when my daughter is sitting across the counter reading the instructions to me while I do them. Reading and doing can be a little mind-boggling when trying a recipe for the first time. Then, compare what your dough looks like to the photos. Of course, the oven temperature could vary a bit, but never that much. And yes, if so many hadn’t already tested this recipe, I would be worried. I never publish a recipe without making it many many times and going over the recipe so many times. But the real test is when others succeed at the instructions provided. There are days I don’t even read my own properly and think I put in a cup of something when I put in a pound. I really cannot tell you where you went wrong, but I can empathize and I really do understand. Just last week I spend 1/2 a day crying and wondering if I could every do anything right. HAHA!
Thanks for letting me know, and I really hope you give them another go.
Happy Holidays,
Valerie
Yum!!!! I am making these for gifts and they have turned out perfectly. I wish we weighed our ingredients instead of measuring with cups. I got four rolls weighing 308.25 grams each instead of your 360 grams, but they are still awesome. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks for sharing your weight results, Laura! Weighing the flour instead of leveling it off will even make a difference! I am so thrilled you are happy with this recipe. We love it! I wish I was on your gift giving list! So few do the homemade treats, anymore! No one I know!
Happy Holidays to you!
🙂
Valeire
This recipe is to die for. I am ackward and inept when it comes to cooking or baking anything…but this recipe was easy to follow and I enjoyed every step of the process. I was so proud of myself for taking the time and effort to make these wonderful delicious treats. Everybody at the table had at least two servings each of these biscotti….not bad considering nobody ever eats anything I make.
Try it..you will not be disappointed .If I can do it..YOU can do it!!
Greetings, Daria!
I appreciate you taking the time to confirm that this recipe worked for you and you love it. It provides credibility to my readers! I noted your name and don’t know if you have ever been to Croatia, but think you have a Croatian last name. I taught school for 30 years and living in multicultural Canada, learned so much about names and where they derive from my students! My husband is also from the former Yugoslavia. We travel there every year – sometimes more, and the sea coast in Croatia is second to none!
Happy Holidays!
Valerie
This is a terrific recipe, and so much easier than I thought it would be. I was a little intimidated at first but it turned out great. Kind thanks for posting this. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and blessings in the New Year!
Merry Merry Christmas, Al!
Thrilled to hear you loved the recipe and it worked for you!
Sincerely,
Valerie
I agree that this is THE best tasting biscotti ever! This is in my “keeper”recipe box. (Yes, I still have the old fashioned recipe box that I got as a wedding shower gift over 40 years ago!) Thanks so much. I’ll be checking out your other recipes as well. I don’t live far from Edmonton so we’re nearly neighbors.
That is wonderful, Cindy!
Always such a treat to meet someone like-minded nearby! Glad to hear you love this recipe as much as we do!
Hugs,
Valerie
Hi, can you please confirm the ingredients list, as there seems to be double of some of the ingredients. Also, is the butter that you are using unsalted or salted.
Hi Poppy!
Thank you for that. Not sure what happened, but correct now! (I installed a new recipe program which may have affected the original recipe)
🙂
Valerie
You forgot the vanilla in this recipe. I guessed at 2 tsp. Thanks for the recipie.
You can’t go wrong with that amount of vanilla – and thank you so much for letting me know that it was omitted from the recipe. No one had noticed it, not even me – and I just made 6 batches last month! Thank you! Amount added now.
Happy Holidays!
Valerie
Hello! I’ve just made this recipe but replaced the orange zest with lemon (cause that’s what I had). I converted (with the Internet ) 1 cup butter to 250grams as I’m in Australia. My biscotti turned out quite crumbly. Initially rolling the mix was sticky therefore a little difficult. I didn’t think unusual because I’d made biscotti before and had experience with this stickiness. But I lost about a third of the biscotti due to the crumbling. What do you think I did wrong? Your input would be appreciated. I would like to perfect this recipe as I like they are gentler on your teeth!!! Thank you.
You used about 2 tablespoons more of butter, Lovaine, which could make that difference. 1 pound is 448grams and I cup is a tad less than half of that. Hope this helps!
Valerie
Thanks Valerie. What you’re saying is to use more butter (closer to 448grams)? What do you consider to be ‘a tad less’? Thank you!
My guests did enjoy them last night all the same ……
No no, Lovaine,
Sorry – you said you used 250 grams for one cup – that is not the conversion of the weight of a cup of butter, It would be a tad less than 448 divided by 2 or about 220 grams – so you likely have 2 tablespoons of butter more, which may have been what did make the difference.
Make sense?
🙂
Valerie
Yes – sorry didn’t read your first reply properly…. Thank you !
🙂
I made this over the weekend and it is AMAZING! A great recipe that I will be doing again and again!
Really wonderful to hear. I think I got another message from you as well? Did I? I know you asked me a question (if it was you), but I deleted it, thinking it was from the comment page. However, it is not… so send again? Sorry about that! We love this recipe. Anyone who has made it loves it – but, you can see a couple have struggled by doing something a little different. Baking isn’t like cooking. It is exact.
🙂
Valerie
I read your recipe on your website, and loved all the photos. I thought it sounded absolutely divine, but alas, when I cooked the biscuits they crumbled when I had to cut the mixture into slices, as it was difficult to get the knife through the almonds. Do you have any ideas on what may have caused this problem?
Thank you,
Merryn
Did you read all the comments, Merryn? Most have success, but some folks alter things. It does take a sharp knife to cut through the almonds and you have to wait until the biscuits have cooled completely, or they will crumble a lot! I hope this helps! It is definitely worth trying again!
Sincerely,
Valerie
Hello, this recipe looks amazing but I am just unsure as to whether to use salted or unsalted butter. I am assuming unsalted. Can you clarify for me please? Thanking you in advance, Beth
HI Beth,
This site is 10 years old. The older recipes aren’t as specific so thank you for asking. Unsalted is always the way to go with baking as there is less water in that butter.
Let me know what you think of the recipe!
🙂
Valerie
Hello, I would like to discuss a 500 piece (packaged biscotti) bulk wholeslae order. Kinldy forward your telephone number.
Thanks,
Joanna
647 224 0990
I don’t sell my baking.
🙂
It would be worth it though!
HAHA
Thank you for this recipe! I have been making them for several years to give to friends. My friends who had recently been to Italy were especially complimentary. They said the flavour and texture took them right back to Italy. I have one question. How many grams of flour would equal 1 cup? I have searched the internet and get such varying amounts. I would like to weigh my flour out next time. I just baked this years gift today. I could eat them all myself.
This is such a fantastic recipe, isn’t it? Best one I’ve ever had.
I do weigh the flour and make this in my Thermomix, too. I use the Canadian measurement of 120 grams flour per cup. I need to revise the recipe to include this information and will when I make it next.
Hope this helps Laura!
Merry Christmas to you!
Valerie
Hello, thankyou for this inspiring post about biscotti and your friend! I was wondering if there is any chance of getting the quantities in metric from Lucia’s mother? I am in Europe and so much more comfortable with metric. Thankyou.
I will get to this when I have time, Tina, but to save you time, you can convert by asking google “how many grams of flour in a cup” etc.
Hope this helps.
Let me know if you enjoy these as much as we do
Warmly,
Valerie